He was 9 years old wearing a Batman shirt looking very concerned. “Does someone know you’re doing this?” “Yes”, I replied smiling, I have permission to paint this mural. It was a wonderful day at the Ferry Terminal, so much enthusiasm from passengers.

This comment was made on one of the facebook posts. If you’ve ever painted a mural before (and I know that some of you on this list have – kudos!) you know that this is an understatement! Here’s a partial supply list for this project:

Ladder

Projector

Bins

Paintbrushes

Paint tray and rollers

Water buckets

Cart

Painter’s tape

Gloves

Hairdryer

Chalk

Large fans

Dropcloths

Spackle

Paint

Paper Towels

Plastic wrap

Trash bags

QTips

Rags

Xacto knife

Scissors

Measuring tape

Kleenex

Markers, pencils

In addition to the supply list, there’s also a tiny bit of coordination needed:

Socialize idea with friends and family to get feedback on project vision

Design and develop a proposal for WSDOT including multiple sketches for different walls

Ask close friends to review and give feedback on design and proposal content

Gain WSDOT management and leadership approvals

Create and launch Kickstarter campaign (ask close friends for video support and reward ideas)

Make backer rewards (see photo above!)

Meet with WSDOT to find time when ferry terminal is available (reduced foot traffic)

Work with local paint store to find the right paint (low VOCs) in the right quantities and the right colors

Coordinate with day job to get time off

Practice painting mural in basement to identify any process issues early on

It’s been a fabulous 3 months of collaboration and excitement. Thank you again for making this happen.

Pack the car with every imaginable painting list item, including hair dryer (spot drying) and expandable laundry basket (used to belong to children, but now serves as a frame for my trash can, so handy!)

Clean the wall

Tape off the areas

Add one coat of primer

Add a second coat of tinted primer. This serves as an underpainting. For those who are unfamiliar with the painting process, an underpainting is a base color added as a first color for the painting. It adds cohesiveness from a color point of view to a painting. I added a little Venezuelan Sea to the white primer for a soft, warm blue.

More updates on Wednesday, when the design gets added and the colors begin!

You did it! Through your contributions and link sharing, you helped reach the goal to make the Bainbridge Island Ferry Terminal Mural happen.

A huge thank you to each of you who supported and/or shared the Bainbridge Ferry Terminal Wall Mural kickstarter. I so appreciate your support. Work on the mural will start in early February, after the campaign comes to a close, per the Kickstarter policy.

While we’ve reached the goal, there’s still time to contribute. All funds collected in excess of the goal will go towards the next public mural project: Murals in our local parks, and/or murals working with children. Stay tuned, I’m just getting started!

Thank you again to everyone for contributing, sharing and supporting this project! It’s now time to get busy working on those rewards.

The Washington State Department of Transportation has given the go-ahead to paint the Puget Sound Wave mural inside the Bainbridge Island Ferry Terminal.

I’m thrilled to share that we’re one step closer to having a mural inside the Bainbridge Island Ferry Terminal. Over 3,000,000 passengers pass through this terminal every year. The Puget Sound Wave mural will celebrate the beauty of Puget Sound and welcome passengers to the terminal.

I’m on a mission to make public art more engaging, more present in our public spaces. This mural will change the waiting area inside the Ferry Terminal from one where passengers sit quietly on the benches staring at their phones to one where they look up and are reminded of the beauty of the Pacific Northwest. Where passengers may smile and love it or may find it too modern and shake their heads. Where kids walk by and say ‘Hey Mom, look at the wave!’. Where new visitors arrive from Seattle and see the welcoming wave. Where people say, ‘Wait for me by the wave inside the terminal’.

I’d love to ask for your support for this project. So many of you support public art and appreciate what it can do for a public space. Here’s how you can support this project:

Timing is important as the project will be funded ONLY if the Kickstarter goal is reached by Jan. 25. If the goal is not reached, no funds are distributed.

I believe in the power of public art to engage children, explore ideas, start conversations and share visions. Following the completion of this first mural, I am continuing conversations with WSDOT and other organizations to identify additional sites and mural projects. I’m just getting started and you’re a big part of this launch. Thank you for your support and encouragement.

Wishing each of you a Happy New Year 2018. May it be filled with peace, joy, laughter and happy projects.

While waiting for the ferry inside the ferry terminal a few weeks ago, I noticed that the inside of the terminal was a large space, with virtually nothing on the walls, outside of a few brochure stands and a couple of bulletin boards. People were sitting around, looking at their phones waiting for the boarding announcement. Looking around, it seemed as if the walls were crying out for art…

But, as with any public space, anything that is attached to a wall can grow legs, so security is an issue. Then it dawned on me: murals, the space needed a few murals. Why not paint murals on the walls to make the interior more engaging, more welcoming to Bainbridge Island visitors? But where to start?

The building is owned by WSDOT (Washington State Department of Transportation). So after a few emails, I managed to find someone in their marketing department. I took a few photos and proposed a couple of designs, and now the proposal is working its way through WSDOT management.

Wouldn’t it be nice to have a ferry terminal that reflects the beauty of Puget Sound and the Pacific Northwest?

Stay tuned as the negotiations continue. Should WSDOT give the go-ahead, I’ll set up a funding site to see if there’s interest in the project. I’m hoping the answer is yes!